SlideGuitar was part of the course “Creative Programming” which focuses on computer programming with a design-oriented and creative emphasis. Therefore, the focus of this project was not on the aesthetics or concept of the product, but on learning to code and integrating electronics and programming into a functional system.
When I started this course, I had never written a code or used a programming language before. The whole world of programming was completely new to me and over the entire course I learned a lot. The end deliverable “SlideGuitar” is a good representative of how I developed myself.
SlideGuitar consists of a cardboard body, an Arduino Uno, an ultrasonic sensor, a button and a LED. By pressing the button, the LED will light up and the guitar will produce a sound, while graphical output is shown on the screen. The tone of the sound depends on the location of the slider (measured by the ultrasonics sensor). The closer the slider is moved towards the sensor, the higher the pitch will get.
This concept combines two programming languages: Arduino for reading and controlling the sensors, Processing for producing sound and digital visuals.
See below for an explanatory video.